My Home

Thursday, September 30, 2010

My driver apologized that he was taking a road under construction to go around the city to make better time. I didn' think much about it until I realized that down here when a road is under construction they don't block traffic, the drivers just make their own way around. There are no road rules here. You just grab a piece of road where you can. If part of the road isn't there, you just avoid obstacles and go on. I found it all pretty amusing. I figured that if I was going to get smashed in a traffic accident, it was more interesting to have it happen in Honduras than in Olympia. We did make it ok, though. The main highway (Pan American Highway?) is actively under construction, and traffic is stopped every few miles. At each flag person who stops traffic, there are multiple people selling bags of fried pork rinds, nuts of some kind, drinks, CD's, and maybe other things I didn't recognize. I didn't see that they were doing a very good business, but it wasn't for lack of enthusiastic trying.

Once I was turned over to Wendy, we headed the rest of the way in. At one point we were stopped at a police roadblock. He had her roll the back window down, where I was (she had her aunt with her - I don't think anyone does anything alone down here), but he just looked at me squeezed among my suit cases and bags, and went on. They asked me if I wanted to stop and get some food to take to my hotel, and I said yes. I had been told by some not to eat at local restaurants, but I figured that if I was going to get sick I might as well go for it early on. We stopped at a place that Wendy assured me was 'famous'. It was sort of like a meat and 3 in Nashville. I picked cooked vegetables, herbed chicked, refried beans, plantains, and tortillas. I had bottled water. I told Wendy I was so hungry I wanted to eat at least a bit while there. It was so good, I ended up inhaling it all in one sitting. So far, I haven't been sick at all. She took me on post for a bit, and I met some of the managers.

I was checked into my hotel. Again, all available young males were recruited to transfer my luggage to my room while I followed somewhat helplessly. The room is incredibly clean. It kind of looks like something from the 60's or so. No dresser, 2 end tables and a small table. A window air conditioner mounted in the wall. A nice tiled bathroom, with no counter. A small bar of soap and a packet, like a Catsup package that I haven't really looked at yet and a clean towel. No coffee machine, and none in the lobby. I felt that this morning... A basic room that is fine. And, internet, which is most important. I was able to skype with my Mom last night and let her know I made it ok. Work today was tiring, since I can't really be very helpful yet. It will take awhile to get me totally set up. There are politics going on, as there is everywhere. So far I'm too new to be involved, and I'll try to keep it that way. I skyped with Mom again tonight, and tried to with Turtle Lady and her family but the call with them kept dropping. I'm guessing that the internet here ebbs and flows with how many of us are on it. I know of 2 other IT folks living here right now who I assume have computers.

I'm going to have to make some decisions very quickly. I need housing when my stuff gets here. It hasn't left Seattle yet, so I have some time. There are lots of variables to worry about with housing, such as safety and how I'll get to work. Taxi's are a viable option, if you trust your driver. There is a free bus to post that goes by the hotel, but some folks say that it's dangerous to stand and wait for it. Driving is almost a contact sport, so I don't know if I want a car or not. However, I can stay here at the hotel on the company's dime for a couple of weeks, so I just don't know...

The trip to Honduras was remarkable mostly for how well everything went. For the most part... The first glitch happened because I decided to just pay the overweight charges rather than squeeze down to 50 lbs each in my 2 bags. When I got to the airport, there was an 'embargo' on Honduras flights (so they said...) where there were no overweight allowances at all. So, I had to take 10 lbs out of luggage and put it somehow into my already overstuffed carry on and day pack. I wasn't exactly within the allowance for carry on when I went on through security. I had 3 things tied around my waist, and my small day pack as well as my larger one (which is barely allowed as it is). My rolling carry on got hand inspected because of a small electric alarm clock Mom gave me at the last minute when I decided my alarm clock was too big. The guy who did it was very nice, and even repacked my bag for me. I was still trying to corral my other stuff while he was doing it. I made my connection in Houston with time to spare.

The flight down to Honduras itself was smooth and uneventful. I had been warned by friends that only specially certified pilots were allowed to land at the main airport because it is so tricky. There was rain and fog at the airport when we got there, and the pilot warned us that he might have to go around and try from the other direction. He pulled out fairly early. We went around and tried again, and he pulled out again. We went back into a holding pattern to wait out the rain and gain better visibility. He assured us we had over 3 hours of fuel on boar. After another failed attempt, he mentioned the possibility of diverting to another airport. I wasn't happy to hear that because I was to be met at this airport, and I was afraid I'd be on my own at a different one. Finally, after another attempt, he went for it, and we landed. We applauded as he brought the plane to a stop.

I was met by the lady I had been assured would be there to help me through immigration. She took my paperwork and passport and wisked me through everything. As we came out 3 local guys came up and grabbed my luggage and took off. I looked at her concerned and she assured me they were her sons. I followed helplessly, and we headed out, with the oldest one (more or less my age) made conversation with me in English. Turned out he and his Mom and I would drive half way in his small truck with a broken windshield to meet Wendy, my contact I had expected to be at the airport.

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

I'm packed. My back hurts. I have piles of stuff for Mom to deal with, and the Jeep is still sitting in her parking lot. However, the storage unit to store it in is rented, paid for the next 14 months, and a plan is in place to get the Jeep and most stuff I'm leaving here to the unit with the uncles' help. The rest of what I wanted to take but didn't have room for is in a pile for her to mail to me. Another week and I might have had all this taken care of...

I did get a will written, notarized, and filed, got some other legal stuff done, got my hair trimmed, got the oil in the Jeep changed at the dealership, and lots of other details handled today. For the most part I'm as organized as I ever get. I think I got everything done that Mom wanted done around here. Skype is set up, and Turtle Lady and I have video chatted a couple of times via Mom's computer on this end. So, I should be able to connect with both of them when I'm down in Honduras.

Pain pills taken, and now I'm off to bed. I'll get up and call my uncle at 3am to wake him up, he'll take me to the airport leaving here at 3:30am, and I'll be on a 6am flight. That's how it's supposed to work, anyway.

Monday, September 27, 2010

Got up at a decent time this morning. Guess I'm getting back to normal on sleep after driving all day and night to get here. I have today and tomorrow to clean up the millions of details left before I head out of the country. While Mom and I were out yesterday I got a USB camera and headphone/mic for Mom and headphone/mic for me so we can Skype while I'm down in Honduras. Gotta get that set up, and then do backups of all the computers, and, oh, yeah, pack.

I haven't really mentioned my cats much since I dropped them off to go to their new home. It is actually their old home, which is with Turtle Lady's sister. The sister had been in the hospital and couldn't take care of the cats when I was asked to give them a new home almost 2 years ago. They helped me through the past time in WA, and I am not too happy to not be able to take them with me now. However, their original owner can now take care of them, so they went back to her. If/when I come back I have the option of getting them back again. We can take turns loving them. So, the cats are much happier than they would be being shipped and dealing with all the issues of moving to another country.

Sunday, September 26, 2010

Got in at Mom's at 7am. We have gotten some tough boxes for me to store what will stay here in MO with her out in my storage unit with the Jeep. I've started sorting somewhat. I'm pretty sure that when I start actually packing into my 2 suitcases and carry on and day pack that a few things will end up staying back here that I had originally meant to take. That's why I got 2 of the tough boxes. Also, I'll probably be mailing things back that shouldn't have gone to Honduras. Mostly, I'm catching up on sleep again.

Saturday, September 25, 2010

I am sitting in my Jeep in a rest area on I57. I'm not even to St. Louis yet. It will be a long night. I've sat here for at least an hour reading blogs on the computer. I'm enjoying my air card while I have it with access to internet basically anyplace I have cell signal. That will end next week. Not sure why I'm taking it so slow driving to Mom's. Maybe I'm trying to slow down time. Mostly I try not to think about all I left behind in Nashville. Some of it won't be there when I come back, at least not the same way. Nest is already saying he doesn't know where he will be in a year, others may not have plans yet but job situations may change as mine did.

It's gotten dark while I've sat here. Guess I should move on down the road.

Friday, September 24, 2010

There is a lot written on the wonders of seeking out the unfamiliar. In my world that will come soon enough (like, in less than a week). For now I'm enjoying the wonders of the familiar.

Zooming up I24 with rock and roll on the radio, coming up 'the ridge' to meet a friend

Knowing where each exit on the Interstate goes

Knowing the stores and restaurants along the main street in Clarksville because I've been in them and know what's available and which ones I prefer ahead of time

Sitting at an intersection and knowing where the roads in each direction go because I've been down all of them

Driving downtown Nashville during rush hour and knowing the back ways to avoid traffic because I've driven most of the streets before and know how to manage the one-ways and what streets go through

Knowing what I want to order in the restaurant because I used to eat there at lunch a lot

Having the hostess who seats me greet me by name and remember me from 2 years ago

Having friends I can call and who will actually meet me for a meal/beer/walk

Knowing where on the 'dial' the radio stations I like are located when I first get into town

I'm sure there are more moments that prompt me to savor being back in the familiar. It is an almost tangible thing to me right now, having spent the past year and a half or so in very unfamiliar territory. I'm sure when I get back next the experience will be even more so. As I experience these moments, always in the back of my mind is the question of when will I be back in that location and who will I be by then?

Thursday, September 23, 2010

My life is full of cute guys right now. Yesterday, after clearing out with the home office in Clarksville, I had lunch with Billy. While driving to the restaurant, I started composing an Ode to the Familiar that I hope I'll get posted soon, about knowing my way around town and how good that felt. Then last night I met Nest and we did our usual beer at Buffalo Billiards on 2nd Ave in Nashville, then walked all around 2nd Ave and then Broadway, then across the Shelby Street walking bridge over the river. These are things I really enjoy doing every time I'm back here. It makes it 'home' to me. Today I had lunch with Paul, my former partner over at Metro Water in Nashville. Tonight hopefully we sign the lease with my tenants in my house, then tomorrow is lunch with some more former co-workers, and tomorrow night is the hiker pizza night. A full schedule. I will remember this time fondly, and will be homesick, I'm sure.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

My idea of a good time still includes a guy in jeans and camo ball cap buying me beer and shooting pool

People who live in really nice, big houses and are looking at ads for houseboats to live in really don't want to hear comments such as 'it will take you a really long time to get rid of all the stuff in this house when you decide to get rid of it'

Probably most people don't take a week to go through just one bankers box of files that is mostly old stuff that's trash

When homeless, trash is more difficult to dispose of than you would imagine

Is it still 'cat napping' when snuggled down with 3 small dogs?

I hate the noise a shredder makes in a large house, when I think that the folks upstairs may be sleeping since I haven't seen them all morning.

Basically, I hate the noise a shredder makes

I have a lot to shred

4 days isn't enough to revisit my entire Nashville life before heading out for a year or more

I'm losing my Nashvhille connections and friends, some more slowly than others, but I'm losing them

I seem to need a lot of time to just sit. It's like there is a lot of stuff that just needs to settle in my brain, and I am paralyzed to move forward on even simple things

As Ben, http://benntexas.blogspot.com/ , pointed out this morning, it's the last day of summer. I am glad I'm spending it in the Nashville area. I'm staying with a friend, Phil, and his family. Last night he and I went up to Tippers in Clarksville and shot some pool and drank some beer and ate some greasy bar food. It's something I've wanted to do for a long time, but don't do by myself. I am really, really bad at pool, and even when Phil would intentionally line up a shot for me I couldn't always get it to go in. However, a few shots hit the mark and the beer was good.

I have gone to the storage unit and set the billing up to be automatic. I brought some files back to sort and shred while in the air conditioning. I think that sorting and getting rid of the things in that unit will be a slow, box by box thing. I just can't seem to just get rid of 'my' stuff. The paperwork is what bothers me the most anyway, since I can't just look at the bankers boxes and know what's in them. So, I guess I am making progress. At some point who knows when I'll be down to the big stuff, and I can either buy/rent a home or condo in Nashville and move it all out. That's in the future when I have money. Insert laugh here.

I have the rest of the week scheduled, and plan to leave here Saturday morning to head back to Mom's to take care of the business there and get staged to leave for Honduras on the 29th.

Monday, September 20, 2010

I'm now sitting in a really nice room at the Harrah's casino in Cherokee, NC. I'm on my computer for the first time since WA, so this post may be readable. When I post from my phone the delete key is right next to the M key, so those typo's in the previous posts should have had an M and some other letter or space in them. Sorry it was so garbled.

After I dropped Turtle Lady off at the airport on Thursday morning at 6am, I got breakfast at the Shoney's there, and then went to the county park where I used to go hiking because it was just a ways from my house. I cat-napped there until I felt more human, and then drove up to my storage unit. I unloaded some things I knew I didn't need for the weekend and picked up a few things I did. Then I drove over to Hot Springs, NC for a campout with friends. That is where the picture came from. On Friday I did nothing but eat and sleep. Literally. Got up for breakfast with the guys who were already at the campout, then went back to the hammock. Got up for lunch, went back to the hammock. An afternoon nap was also necessary. I think I got caught up finally. Then I spent Saturday still a mental zombie. By yesterday I felt more or less normal again. There was no cell or internet access in Hot Springs. Yesterday afternoon I spent a wonderful late summer morning driving a sunny, winding road over to Cherokee. Just what I needed.

Today I drive back to Nashville. The tennants in my house were under the impression that I would be there to see them this morning. So, I have to actually start taking care of business when I get back, re-doing the lease and going through the things in my storage unit and getting it set up on auto pilot. I hope to see friends there as well over the next 4 days or so.

Sunday, September 19, 2010

Thursday, September 16, 2010

I'm sitting in 'my' Shoney's next to the Nashville airport. The hostess who seated me remembers me and asked where I'd been. I'm back home.

I took Turtle Lady to the airport this morning. Made it to her place yesterday at noon and spent a nice time with her and her family. Getting here before she had to fly out was the reason for the marathon drive. Mission accomplished

Monday, September 13, 2010

Looks like I willake it toom's by morning. Stopped at Al's Oasis at MM 260 in SD. Good basic food and reasonable price. For $15 I got an open faced roast beef w/potatoes &gravy and a slice of bananna cream pie, and that included tip. Brat heck out Micky D's.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

I'm in the middle of Montana somewhere at a Micky D's. I keep stopping to rest so the miles are not going by quickly. I'll do aore indepth recap on my computer later. This is just to let folks know where I am on this trip.

40 degrees in Idaho this morning. Fog laying in the hollers, it's definitely fall up here. I guess I really had gotten out of the habit of the changing seasons over near the coast. Seriously chilly to me now.

Saturday, September 11, 2010

Made it to Taco bell in Yakima and am letting the cats out while I eat. Not much room for us in this rolling Fibber McGee's closet (and if you don't get the reference let me hit you with my walker...). Need to decide if going over on I90 as I had planned or take I80 as both the GPS and my phone map say to.

So this morning started the new chapter of my life. So far, just as in the previous one, I'm sorting stuff, packing, and my back hurts. I kept way too much stuff back from the shippers to fit into my Jeep. Some of it was accidental, some was just plain not used to such a small vehicle. Casey and Travis, two of the NCO's from work who have become friends, are coming by to help me load the suitcases into the Jeep and to go to a good-by breakfast. I hope my plan will work to get the big stuff in, then I'll stuff little things in until I run out of room. If anything left is important I'll mail it. The post office is open until 3, and the UPS store, which is expensive, is open till 7. Then it's On The Road Again!

Friday, September 10, 2010

The shippers come this morning. My plans change hourly as to what I'll ship and what I'll mail where. At this point I'm thinking I'll just ship everything. It's only stuff, and I can live a few weeks without any of it. I was thinking that since it's leaving 3 weeks before I am, I'll only be without it for 3-4 weeks once I'm there. That may be optimistic, but then again, I need to know where I'll be living and have room to accept it when it does get there. So, when I look at the 'valuable' stuff I was going to mail, I think I'll just let them take it after all.

ETA to leave Washington State is 24-36 hours from now. Seems impossible now, but we'll see. I really want to get to Turtle Lady's place in KY by Wednesday since she will fly out on Thursday morning to come out here. Funny how that worked out. I am so happy to be moving into a new chapter of my life. Living out here has been pleasant enough, but it hasn't felt like I've really been living. Not sure how Honduras will feel. Different, anyway.

Ok, gotta do dishes before heading to work for awhile. I cleaned out the freezer yesterday, and still find food to give away/toss. I will be throwing away a lot of stuff that my hording side will be freaked out about, I'm sure. I still have so much because when folks would come over to get stuff, I couldn't let go of all of it. Kept a little something back, you know? Except I have no way to use or move it. Consumables like dish washing detergent, laundry detergent, bit and pieces of stuff in the fridge. Money wise it isn't worth anything, but I'm not used to not being able to take anything like that. The Jeep just won't hold everything I would take if I had room. My luggage, the cats, and the robo litterbox take up all the room. A sleeping bag, a small tent just in case, and a few things I'm taking to my Mom's fill in the small crevices.

By way of Lloyd's blog again: http://www.archive.org/It seems to have links to pretty much anything you might be looking for in the way of literature and audio in the public domain. I admit I haven't checked it out much, I'm goofing off enough just checking blogs when I need a break from packing.

The rest of the story: This kayaking adventure was a purchased tour I found on Groupon.com. It is a site that you join (free) and they have daily coupons for mostly half off of things. Most of it is restaurants, spas, fancy coffee, tea, spices, etc. It's a way for places to advertise and get you in the door. But, the day I looked they also had this sea kayaking trip for half price up in the San Juan Islands with Crystal Seas Kayaking. So, I bought the coupon and then suddenly was not going to be around here much longer. That explains why I played hooky and ran up there. This was the first time I was ever north of Seattle. I basically followed the GPS to Anacortes, WA. On the way up through Seattle it turned cold and rainy and dark. I'm thinking that I don't have enough clothes with me, and, oh *^&% I forgot my sleeping bag and underquilt. In my efforts to go lightweight and not bring the kitchen sink with me all the time, I was so proud that I didn't have but my hiking backpack with my hammock and tarp and my hammock stand and a small daypack. However, I had pulled my sleeping bag out of my pack in my efforts to get ready for my cross-country trip, and I had been using my underquilt on the hammock in the house. I made a detour to KMart and got a $30 what was described as a 15 degree bag. I wouldn't trust it much below 40, and it's not ultra light, but it did the job. Just a word of warning, I put WalMart into the search on the GPS and it routed me directly to... a Sam's Club. I don't have a membership there anymore. However, the KMart was right next door.

On Thursday I had called up to Anacortez to find camping. I was luckily directed to an out of the way place called Lake Erie Grocery who said they have 'camping spots' behind the grocery. So, I followed his directions once I got up there, and after asking for further directions from a different grocery that was right where I expected his to be, I found the quaint place. I was directed down the drive behind the grocery to find a spot. I have kidded that with my hammock stand I can 'camp' in a gravel parking lot if I need to,and that was just what I found. The view of the lake was really nice, but it was indeed a flat gravelish lot. No worries on that count, but I still didn't have an underquilt for my hammock and it was chilly on the lake. I decided not to set up my stand until I got back from the tour, and told them it would be late when I got back. There was no sign of life down at the campsite, however it is a fishing camp with all manner of old trailer, RV, hut, junk cars and trucks and such sitting around the gravel lot. I figured they were empty, but the next morning I noticed that some of the vehicles were newish and I saw a small dog in the window of one of the older RVs.

So I headed out to find the ferry. It had turned sunny as I got further north, and I was running early, so life was good. The directions the wife at the store gave me to go the 'back way' to the ferry were as descriptive as her husbands had been. In reality, she tried to take me right there, but the end part of 'just over the hill' didn't compute right. There were no signs and the road headed towards town. So, when I gave up and put 'ferry' into the gps, it took me to the wrong one. A call to Crystal Seas and they gave me the address of the ferry for my GPS, and it took me to the correct one. The fee to walk on the ferry was only $13 and change. For both directions. I took the pictures I posted while I waited, the enjoyed the 2 hour ferry ride through awesome Pacific Northwest country. Once in town I had an hour to kill so I first got some ice cream at the shop right on the dock, then later walked across the street and tasted some blush wine at the wine store. My tastes must be changing, or wine has changed. Everything I taste seems so dry and almost bitter to me now. Once I'm in Honduras I may need to do an indepth study of this subject.

On the van ride to the kayak dock I met two of the folks who were going to be on the trip with me. We hit it off right away. She has said that she will send me the pics she took of me in the kayak, so I'll post at least one later to prove I was there. 'Pics or it didn't happen...' The trip itself was really nice. Low key. The kayaks were 2 person, and since it was alone I was with the tour guide, Angela, who was awesome. The perk of being right there with her (besides the fact that I didn't have to paddle as much with her being young and fit and me, well, not being so) was that I heard all of her commentary. There were 7 of us on the tour with her. Basically we paddled up the side of the island for about 3 miles and back. We saw a bald eagle, a harbor seal (who wasn't too happy about us going by him as he was drifting (litterally) off to sleep, various other birds and just beautiful scenery with Victoria, BC across the water about 8 miles away. It was a sunset cruise, and indeed we had an awesome sunset as we paddled back to the harbor. I am so glad I actually got out and did the kayak tour.

Back in town my new friends and I got Chinese while waiting for the late Ferry. Once on board we went to upper salon(?) where we were almost the only ones up there and stretched out and napped on the trip back to Anacortes. I managed to find my Jeep at 1am in the parking lot, and then found the grocery store camping lot. I realized that I also forgot a flashlight (intrepid camper, that's me...). All things considered I just put the seat back in the Jeep and crawled into my new sleeping bag while curled up around the steering wheel and gear shift. This gave me new appreciation on how I need to pack the Jeep for the trip across the country next week, so it was all good.

So, now packing begins in earnest. I've already made some mistakes (telling the person who subcontracted my packing and crating that I went with another shipper because I mistook him for someone else in the quote process for one, but he corrected me...) and I'm stressing a bit. But, I am so glad I the trip up to the San Juan Islands in the meantime. It has me totally excited to move to Honduras where I can get out and do things. Not sure why I never felt like getting out more here. I will make the effort once I'm down there to not be such a hermit.

Pictures of the kayak tour when I get them. I made the decision not to pull out the camera much myself.

Funny how sleeping on the floor has me waking up early and actually getting up and moving. I took down the hammock stand to start emptying out the bedroom. That will be my staging area for what will actually travel with me. I took down the grid unit that held my clothes, the clothes already being mostly packed. So, this morning I will get the Jeep packed for my trip to the San Juan Islands. I need to leave here in an hour or so.

Last night as I was getting all my computer gear together in a pile I found my missing thumb drive. The one with the important stuff on it. Like games. I own 21 thumb drives, and I knew where 20 of them were. Now I have all 21, and the games are installed on this computer. I may install them on the netbook, too, while I know where the thumbdrive is.

Friday, September 03, 2010

Things are moving along. Not quickly, but they are moving. I cleaned out my lock box - err, safety deposit box is the correct name I guess. Had to find the key. When the bank said that it would take over $100 and more time than I had left to get someone in to drill it out if I couldn't find the key, I turned the house back right-side up (it was upside down already...) and found it. The shipper is scheduled to arrive on Friday, my last day at work. I've told my co-worker that I'll be taking a <cough> long lunch that day. She's coming over on Thursday after work to get any and all consumables from the apartment. I may take whatever peanut butter, honey, bread and coffee with me to snack on while driving, but any food, cleaning supplies, stuff that won't get shipped is going with her. I'll take her the vacuum at work when I go clear on Friday afternoon. That's the plan, anyway.

Tomorrow I head up to the San Juan Islands for a sea kayak tour. I bought it before I knew I'd be leaving. I have a campsite reserved since I will walk on the ferry to the island and leave my truck in the parking lot, and I won't get back to it till after 11pm. I'll set up my camp before getting on the ferry. That's how it's supposed to work, anyway. I'll try to email some pictures to the blog if I have signal.